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South Africa women’s national cricket team superstar Marizanne Kapp has strongly reacted to Cricket Australia’s decision to allow transgender cricketer Anaya Bangar to play women’s community cricket in Australia.
Anaya, who played for the Mumbai Under-19 men’s team before the gender-affirming surgery, has set her sights on making a return to higher-level cricket after getting community cricket clearance. Amid this, Gautam Gambhir praises Sonal Dinusha after India miss 2-0 sweep vs SL.
Marizanne Kapp unhappy with Cricket Australia’s call
Marizanne Kapp slammed Cricket Australia (CA) after reports confirmed that Anaya Bangar, daughter of former Indian all-rounder and batting coach Sanjay Bangar, had received clearance to play women’s Community Cricket and Premier Cricket in Australia.
The South African all-rounder shared a post about Anaya’s clearance and strongly slammed the decision. “Absolutely ridiculous, this should not be allowed,” Kapp wrote on her Instagram.
Marizanne Kapp’s Instagram story on Anaya Bangar. pic.twitter.com/ofbDpVXYPi
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 28, 2026
Anaya Bangar gets Cricket Australia clearance
Anaya recently spoke about her return to competitive cricket after receiving clearance from Cricket Australia. She underwent gender-affirming surgery in March 2026 and later contacted Cricket Australia after getting no response from the BCCI regarding her eligibility to play women’s cricket in India.
Cricket Australia reviewed her case under its transgender and gender-diverse player policy before approving her return to community-level cricket. However, this clearance does not automatically make Anaya eligible for the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
She is currently allowed to play Premier Cricket, which comes under Community Cricket, but the elite competitions like the WBBL will require her to meet additional eligibility conditions. Amid this, 'Unhappy' BCCI may remove Vaibhav Sooryavanshi & others from Asian Games squad.
BCCI and ICC bar the transgender participation
Anaya’s case has once again brought the transgender participation debate into the spotlight. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has a 2023 policy that does not allow transgender players who have gone through male puberty to compete in international women’s cricket.
At the same time, the BCCI currently does not have a formal policy specifically dealing with transgender participation in Indian domestic women’s cricket. Kapp’s strong reaction has added further intensity to an already controversial issue.
Anaya Bangar targets elite cricket from 2027
She earlier said in the press conference, as quoted by ANI: “Today is an important day for me because after several years away from competitive cricket, I can finally speak about a pathway back to the sport that has been such a significant part of my life.”
The 25-year-old added, “I am preparing to return to women's cricket in Australia with the aim of pursuing elite cricket from March 2027. I am not claiming that I have made a team. I am saying that I have been given the opportunity to compete for one. and I intend to work for it.”
Meanwhile, Anaya Bangar believes that inclusion and fairness can exist together in sport. She feels cricket policies should consider both sides while making decisions.
She also admitted that returning to cricket after her gender-affirming surgery was not easy. Cricket has always been a passion for her, and she spent years searching for a way to return after her transition. Now, Cricket Australia has finally given her the chance to compete again and continue the sport she loves.
